Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 38: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he is satisfied with the measures taken to tackle illegal dumping in forests here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16913/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Enforcement actions against illegal waste activity are a matter for the local authorities and the Office of Environmental Enforcement (OEE). The 2005 report of the OEE, The Nature and Extent of Unauthorised Waste Activity in Ireland, identified the unauthorised collection and fly-tipping of waste as a problem area which needed to be further tackled. The extent of fly-tipping is not, however, quantified in the report. The report drew attention to the measures already being taken, including the appointment of some one hundred and twenty additional enforcement officers funded by my Department across the local authorities and the stepped up enforcement activity generally being led by the OEE and the local authorities. It also identified additional actions which would further support the effort to stamp out this socially and environmentally unacceptable practice, such as a "man in the van" advertisement campaign and use of covert cameras. Non-routine actions are now commonplace, and include vehicle checkpoints and use of CCTV cameras for identification of offenders at fly-tipping hotspots. The implementation of these actions is coordinated on an ongoing basis by the OEE through its National Enforcement Network.

In 2008, there were 19,269 routine litter patrol investigations, 27,825 on the spot fines issued and 608 litter prosecutions. In addition, 12,000 non-litter waste complaints inspections and a further 2,434 other inspections for fly-tipping waste, burning or other surveillance purposes were undertaken by the local authorities. There were 8,151 waste enforcement notices issued and 695 prosecutions initiated but a breakdown as to how many of these related to fly-tipping is not available. Overall, this represents a very significant quantum of enforcement, consistent with the findings of the OEE's Focus on Environmental Enforcement in Ireland, covering the period 2006 to 2008, which indicates that the handling of waste-related complaints has significantly improved. Notwithstanding the significant progress achieved, I intend shortly to set up a multi agency task force to consider the matter further, with a view to determining any additional actions that may be required.